Too soon!" was the cry when a pair of 9/11 films showed up in 2006. But this year, when a battalion of war-and-terror themed movies marched into theaters, the response was more like "Who cares?"

One by one they got shot down at the box office: In the Valley of Elah , Rendition, Lions for Lambs, Redacted, even the explosives-laden The Kingdom. Either these particular films hit the public snooze alarm, or audiences just aren't in the mood for movies related to a war that slogs on in real time.

Meanwhile we learned to laugh at pregnancy (Knocked Up, Juno and Waitress), shuddered at old age and dementia (Away From Her and The Savages) and marveled at the power and range of Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Savages, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead and Charlie Wilson's War). Just about any film on my top 10 could have claimed the No.1 spot. A slow year? No. Just an unusual dose of consistency.

Chris Vognar

1 Once – How can a movie that cost only $150,000 to make be the best movie of the year? By keeping it simple. Director John Carney focuses his attention on the undeniable chemistry between his two leads (Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová) and lets their beautiful collection of songs do the rest. Comedy, drama, tragedy, inspiration – this little gem has it all. That Once rethought the movie musical seems almost incidental. On DVD

Fox Searchlight

Two musicians (Marketa Irglova and Glen Hansard) fall in love.

2 Juno – Hotshot newcomer Diablo Cody's screenplay keeps the barbs coming, and Ellen Page makes all that expert dialogue believable as the title character mother-to-be. Equal parts of Napoleon Dynamite and Little Miss Sunshine give this one the perfect sweet-to-edgy ratio. In theaters

3 Knocked Up –Against all odds, Judd Apatow continues to master a true hybrid: the raunchy romantic comedy. It's no wonder that it made nearly $150 million – it's a movie that both halves of a date will enjoy. On DVD

4 American Gangster –It's a foolproof formula: Put Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe on opposite sides of the law and let them battle it out amid the late 1970s drug boom in New York. But give director Ridley Scott credit for crafting a taut, 157-minute movie that won't have you looking at your watch once. In theaters

Focus Features

Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) and Robbie Turner (James McAvoy)

5 Atonement – Upon second viewing, this one grew on me. Joe Wright's direction can be heavy-handed, but he shows in this tragic love story set against World War II that he's a young director in full command of his cinematic options. His much-ballyhooed 5 ½-minute tracking shot on a beach full of English soldiers is worthy of its ballyhooing. A nice twist at the end is well earned. In theaters

6 Margot at the Wedding –This story of grown sisters (Jennifer Jason Leigh and Nicole Kidman) reuniting for a wedding will likely hit home for anyone with siblings. It's not a film full of bombast, but the little exchanges between sisters, mother and son, and spouses-to-be cut close to the bone. In theaters

7 Eastern Promises –Director David Cronenberg and star Viggo Mortensen build upon their previous collaboration, A History of Violence, in shifting their story from the tired Italian and Irish mob scenes to the Russian organized crime game. Russian accents have felled many an actor, but Mr. Mortensen, an obsessive preparer, embodies his character, accent and all, flawlessly. On DVD

8 Gone Baby Gone –This crime procedural about an investigator looking for a missing child offers plenty of surprises, none of them cheap. Ben Affleck shows he's got a future behind the camera and his brother, Casey, solidifies his future in front of it. On DVD Feb. 12

Paramount

Beowulf (voiced by Ray Winstone) speaks with King Hrothgar (voiced by Anthony Hopkins).

9 Beowulf – Maybe it was all in the IMAX screen and 3-D delivery, but of everything I saw this year, this oldest of tales reminded me of the awesome possibilities of moviemaking. Sometimes bigger really is better. In theaters

10 No Country for Old Men –No one establishes a better sense of place than the Coen brothers, and their West Texas comes across as lived-in and authentic. Javier Bardem is evil incarnate. In theaters

Honorable mentions: Hairspray, Starting Out in the Evening, The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Stephen Becker is the movies editor of The Dallas Morning News.

1 The Savages –It will send waves of trepidation through anyone with an elderly parent. It will also make you laugh until it hurts. Such is the marvelous balancing act of Tamara Jenkins' direction and screenplay, and of Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney's performances as adult siblings trying to do right for their dying old man (Philip Bosco), who never did anything for them. In theaters

2 American Gangster –The title seems presumptuous, but it's actually spot on. This is an American epic concerning all the things they don't tell you about the American Dream, namely that it's often lined with blood. Denzel Washington, as Harlem drug kingpin Frank Lucas, and Russell Crowe, as narco cop Richie Roberts, remind us what movie stars are supposed to act like. Big moviemaking at its best. In theaters

Fox Searchlight

A couple (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman) wants to adopt a pregnant teen's (Ellen Page) baby in Juno.

3 Juno – The coming-out party for a pair of thrillingly original talents. As the title character, a pregnant 16-year-old who leads with her chin but remains vulnerable, Ellen Page puts a sharp twist on the end of each verbal jab. Her words come courtesy of stripper turned blogger turned screenwriter Diablo Cody, who writes with the verve and excitement of someone creating a new language. In theaters

4 Persepolis – In a year when movies keyed to current conflicts (The Kingdom, Lions for Lambs, Rendition) were met with a massive shrug, this coming-of-age animated film conveyed an Iranian girl's reminiscences of war and adolescence with a German expressionist flourish. The result is a richly human tale about the meaning of home. Based on Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel. Opens in Dallas Jan. 18

5 The Bourne Ultimatum –The action movie that thinks before it acts and manages to do both at a breakneck pace. In both its breathless suspense sequences and its gutsy take on our current surveillance society, Ultimatum is thrillingly here and now. On DVD

Universal Pictures

Matt Damon and Julia Stiles

6 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days –I loved The Lives of Others, one of the best films ever made about life under a totalitarian system. But it belongs to last year's movie cycle. The Romanian 4 Months is a quieter but no less devastating story about regular people living out the last days of Communism, focusing on a determined woman trying to procure an abortion for her friend. Fine naturalistic acting and attention to detail. Opens in Dallas Feb. 15

7 There Will Be Blood –As misanthropic oilman Daniel Plainview, Daniel Day-Lewis etches one of the big screen's great portraits of single-minded, slash-and-burn soul death. He's matched by the most muscular direction of Paul Thomas Anderson's career. Bizarre, beautiful and haunting. Opens in Dallas Jan. 4

8 The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters –It was another banner year for documentaries, including the sober-as-a judge Iraq war interrogation No End in Sight and the media ethics drama My Kid Could Paint That. But this savvy look at two guys vying for the world Donkey Kong record is a textbook on how to turn nonfiction into narrative, including a hero, a villain and cloak-and-dagger scheming. On DVD Jan. 29

Warner Bros. Pictures

Robert Ford (Casey Affleck) and Jesse James (Brad Pitt)

9 Talk to Me –Don Cheadle and Chiwetel Ejiofor, playing a real-life '70s D.C. DJ and programming director, bring sparks to this smart and bracingly entertaining look at what it means to be a successful black man in America, from self-expression and activism to accusations of selling out. A triumphant return to form for director Kasi Lemmons (Eve's Bayou). On DVD

10 The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford –Assassination is a twofer: a reminder of when Westerns were weird ( McCabe and Mrs. Miller, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid ) and an evocative study of celebrity worship starring one of the biggest celebs around (some guy named Pitt). Roger Deakins' cinematography is otherworldly. On DVD next year

Honorable Mentions: 3:10 to Yuma, Hairspray, Ratatouille, Once, This Christmas

Chris Vognar is the movie critic of The Dallas Morning News.